“Cosmic Balance” (working title) invites the viewers to reflect upon the meaning of justice. Elements of the mural reference the etymology of Maat present in the judicial world, individual rights, and a universal balance of equality.

The Egyptians had a cosmic connection to the final judgment, and believed that at death their hearts were weighted against the feather of Maat. The Egyptian goddess of justice weighted the heart to measure the deeds and the evolution of the soul in a lifetime. They believed the soul would go and take it’s place in the stars before it went into a new body for a new life, and that each soul in each lifetime made the whole spirit of a person. Plato, inspired by Socrates believed a human’s soul was divided in three parts, reason, spirit, and desire, and applied this to both humans, and cities when referring to harmony in justice. Religion has contributed to justice with a moral compass for human respect.

The goddess has been depicted copiously in historical and modern art. Transcending eras and styles in her incarnations throughout time, she is always inside or outside a court- house, reminding us of justice. Our inspiration for her pose came from the “justice” series of fractional currency, the first third issue fifty-cent note released in 1864.

The stars in the design represent the idea of the land of the free, invoking a sense of independence flying in the air. The big stripes in the design are a crop abstract shape of an "ojo de dios," a native protector against the evil eye. Placing emphasis on the original land dwellers.

Maat's sidekick Anubis, keeper of the scales, is in the background reading. The reading material references the Code of Ur-Namu, the oldest law code ever written, and it also stands in for the Bill of Rights to honor fairness for the individual.